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AJAX, Ont. — A year after announcing ambitious expansion plans, Smoke’s Poutinerie is on track to meet its goals with much of its growth coming from non-traditional units.

“We’re going to be in every stadium, every airport, every university in the world, starting here in Canada,” said founder and chief executive officer Ryan Smolkin.

“It’ll happen, some time or another.”

TheSmoke’s Poutinerie Sports and Entertainment division is devoted to non-traditional growth, which includes campus, stadium, amusement park and airport units. Smolkin has been working on this channel since he signed a deal with Ricoh Coliseum, shortly after opening his second location and launching catering in 2009.

After proving the viability of the brand, this opened the door for Smoke’s locations at other Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment properties, including BMO Field and the Air Canada Centre.

Smolkin noted while some people balked at his goal to open 1,300 locations by 2020, calling it “unrealistic,” he said it is happening.

“It’s unrealistic that I won’t hit those numbers and it’s because they don’t understand these channels that we’re just flooding now,” Smolkin explained.

While traditional four-wall units take at least a year from deal to opening day, Smolkin said it’s much faster to open units in universities, airports and stadiums.

Between the end of July and third week of September Smolkin said about 40 new locations would open in stadiums and post-secondary institutions. Starting in October, another eight to 10 will open every month.

“We’re at capacity. We’re not doing 40 because that’s all that was offered; we’re only doing 40 because that’s capacity for us — that’s the exciting part,” Smolkin said.

The Ajax, Ont. brand recently opened what it’s calling a food court concept near its head office this spring. The triple-branded location features Smoke’s Poutinerie as well as its weinerie and burritorie brand extensions.

The burrito and hot dog concepts offer co-branding opportunities as well as the ability to move into locations where the operating partner wants a food offering other than poutine. This was the case in Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 3, where HMS Host opened a Smoke’s Burritorie in June. (A co-branded unit is also in the works for Terminal 1.)

In addition to the relationships Smoke’s has built with third-party vendors such as Aramark and Compass Group, which positioned the brand for growth on campuses and in arenas, Smolkin expects a partnership with HMS Host will open the door to airports and rest stops in the United States.

As of June 2015, when Smolkin laid out his five-year expansion plan, there were about 100 locations.

A year later, Smoke’s is on track to double those units. Next year, he plans to double them again. In the United States, there are 60 units sold with five open and 10 under construction.

The next international markets Smolkin plans to enter are the United Kingdom, Australia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Smolkin opened his first poutine joint on Adelaide Street in Toronto’s Entertainment District seven years ago and “global domination” was always part of the plan. Admittedly, the saturation has been quicker than he initially expected.

“My original business plan was to take the Canadian iconic dish to the rest of the world and, at the time, even take the Quebec classic side dish as a meal to all of Canada,” said Smolkin.

Smolkin worked behind the counter of his first location. He’s behind the Smoke’s vision, branding and financing, and while he knew handing over control would become necessary, it was still difficult. Until six months ago, Smolkin took care of the financing before hiring a senior financial controller, who he called “a billion times better” at it than him.

He now has a team of 25 — “people who know the industry inside and out” — including global development officer Mark Cunningham.

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Ishcom Publications was established in 1986 with the launch of Ontario Restaurant News, offering national coverage with a provincial focus of the news that matters to the restaurant and foodservice industry. The company expanded its regional concentration with the addition of Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News and Atlantic Restaurant News. In 2004, Ishcom Publications added Canadian Lodging News to its portfolio to offer its industry news coverage to the accommodation sector.